Help us make a difference!

European 7-a-side Football Tournament in Denmark

juillet 09, 2012

The Special Olympics European 7-a-side Football Tournament took place in Denmark involving more than 160 players.

Football Action

The Danish Special Olympics national team and club team Glostrup IC, brought home Gold in the A-and B-series while Boldklubben Enghaven won Bronze at the Special Olympics European 7-a-side Football Tournament from June 28th until July 1st.

The 7 a-side football tournament was dedicated to players with intellectual disabilities at low ability level similar to the 2009 event held in Portugal. More than 160 eager players from ten countries participated. The countries were Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Monaco, Hungary, Iceland, Great Britain, Malta, Belgium and Denmark. The event was possible thanks to co-funding from UEFA, the Danish Disabled Federation and local sponsor Wurth. 12 teams displayed skill and good spirits on and off the pitch at the Ballarat Sports Park, Ballerup, Copehnagen where the Tournement was held.

Soccer Skills

The Danish Federation for Disabled and the Danish Football Federation were involved in organising the tournament in conjunction with Special Olympics. Attending dignitaries included the Deputy of Mayor of Ballerup, Tom Nielsen and the Belgium Ambassador to Denmark, Jean-François Branders.

The three days of great football saw players build on their soccer skills and develop new friendships. Danish player, Lynge Jacobsen: “We played really well today. The best thing was to score a goal against Monaco. I had another goal disallowed and it was a little annoying, but I did not say much about it.”

The 7-a-side Tournament was co-funded by UEFA under its RESPECT programme.

Close Games

For Glostrup IC taking part in the tournament was special as they won the A-series. The final was a close match against Switzerland. Glostrup IC had many scoring opportunities and won the match 1-0. Glostrup player, Anders Petersen: “We have a really good defense and midfield, who work well together. But I will also give much credit to the coaches and referees. It's been a good tournament, we would like to help again.”